I did not plan to use the second video--I'd never seen it before... But I find it very apropos, maybe even a God Incident... Although it's probably a computer program...LOL Or it could be both...
I had looked for the song that immediately came to mind as I was thinking about what to write about. I've sung this song, Follow Me, before, but never during a time when the entire world is in pain, living within violence that is being initiated by, authoritarian leaders across the world... I don't have to name them. We, the People, of each of the countries--and now the United States--have known the loneliness of feeling like there is no hope when the leaders of our government is the one initiating the violence and worse, affecting our lives--our ability to meet basic needs of food and shelter...
I've been in a somber mood that has never set in before in my long life... and I didn't expect it to be because of the government leader! Most of my life, I'd ignored politics, not because I wasn't minimally interested as is most citizens, but that I was always working on my own career, thinking through how I would be spending my life... Thinking through whether, when I've been offered promotions, should I take them... And, then, thinking about--knowing about--the terror of not being able to stop crying. To know that, perhaps, for the first time in my life, my life had moved into a direction I could not plan for--that authoritarian leaders had been appointed over me... I wondered how for so many years I had been blessed with bosses who worked with me, as opposed to demanding obedience...
The fact is that, right now, I've been reading many books. Hearing many news announcements. Hearing or Reading people who share my own feelings--at least that makes me feel a little better. On calm days I am somber, but it never goes away... Days when I hear that another boat of people has been blown out of the water by OUR government, without any knowledge of who those people were, AND NOT knowing that it was at least approved by Congress...
.jpg)
And then I read a little more of one book. Which is so startling that I begin to doubt...
The cover is so...wrong! I KNOW Jesus did not carry a gun! Yet, I am finding shocking data and concrete examples of just how guns have pervaded a major part of what is now called Christian Nationalism, a breakoff from those of us who follow Jesus as our Savior...Yes, Shocked! And I learn that it has been in my lifetime since this was brewing...And getting worse, when getting involved with politics was initiated by Jerry Falwell...
William Kole began his research after, also, being shocked when a fellow church musician, began to move his gun while at practice... The man saw Kole's surprise...and proceeded to "explain..." Kole didn't buy what he was selling... Now as I'm reading, I find myself getting nauseous just reading of this reality...
Now, the first thing I thought of as I saw this video of young people was, "Do they carry guns?" And think "Guns are what God wants us to own?" I wonder just how many Christians, like me, are still around. I know politics has already split my family--and I don't understand how that happened either... Yet, I'm reading statistics, the timing, and when the evolution began...
And then I remember that somewhere along the line, the present leader started speaking to the NRA and others and getting supported by them... When did Greed--a deadly sin--according to the book they swear by, come to be accepted... Did Christian Nationalism totally evolve out of Christianity, or did others, who had the guns and figured they'd get in on the use of those guns and get paid for, join that new group? Certainly, during the pre-January 6th Insurrection, protests were made by anti-Jews, supporters of Hitler were there... then the militia groups across the land who think they are those people who are to "guard us." Lord, help us! They were the ones that came with guns, prepared to use them... Now, they have been pardoned and, I believe, are on the streets under the guise of ICE... For surely the violence demonstrated by these men had to have been used in their pasts!?!
I've been ruminating about the words of the 2nd Amendment... and how those words relates to today's world... It seems to me that, the militia that was spoke of now composes two present groups in the U.S. At the state level, we formed the Police Department which, in essence replaced the militia groups which were needed in the past. And, then, as nations began to fight at that level, the Defense (I won't call in War) Department of the Federal Government was started...
But even in the beginning, there was murder as the white man came into a new country where red skins or brown skins were already living...and they killed them for the land, while at the same time forced then to attend Christian churches... Don't you see? They started doing exactly what they had left their homes to achieve...yet those it chose, used guns to begin again to greedily fight for what they felt was "God-Given?" Surely Not! Yet, History tells us the Truth. No wonder public schools are being targeted, books are being banned, universities are being targeted...Museums are being told to delete history, for instance, of slavery which we all know about! And why not get rid of those with memories so they won't affect today's world... Millions protesting are saying, we don't forget!
No comments:
Post a Comment